Soho shopkeepers flee the bulldozers

November 2009

An ambitious Crossrail project in London could force hundreds out of work and dozens of shop owners out of business.

The rail scheme is due to link Maidenhead in Berkshire to Shenfield in Essex, via Heathrow airport and central London, by 2017.
In order to purse this plan dozens of shop owners in Soho, central London, are going to quit their business early next week after having received five weeks’ notice under a compulsory purchase order.

Two massive old buildings in Dean Street will disappear in the space of a few hours, as bulldozers sweep away shops, restaurants and pubs.
Passers-by and commuters may be shocked by the different landscape, but shop owners claim they and their staff will face massive disruption.

Francesco Cipriani, manager at Spaccanapoli, has been helping to vacate the premises of his pizzeria for the last few days.
“We have already sold all the furnishings and staff laid off here,” he said. “It is emotionally hard to leave this place after 16 years and for most of the 25 staff members the certain income is gone at the moment.
“The most experienced of us will move to our other branch in Farrringdon area, that is called Santorè, but what about the others?
“London has already got a great transport and I think it is not worthy to demolish these old buildings for Crossrail’s sake.”

Also worried about the future is Nicola Atkinson, manager at Cornish Bakehouse. She claims the takeaway chain serves hundreds of passing customers every day.
"Our last day will be on Tuesday and it is very sad to leave. We have been here for five years and it is deeply unsettling to vacate now that businesses are struggling anywhere.
“Hopefully we will be able to go to another shop, but is not sure yet. Consequences of this plan are terrible for the whole area,” she said.

More optimistic about the future and the project is Rajeev Kein, manager of Perfume Culture, a new shop displaying a wide selection of cut-price perfumes.
“I think this plan will only affect shop owners. Some people feel bad because they have been staying here for several years and rely massively on usual customers.
“We won’t be affected badly. We are a new business and we are renting; consequently, we have not been offered compensation, but now we are shifting to Oxford Street, that is even a better business venue, where Crossrail offered spaces for most of the businesses that will make way for the project.”

Under the rail scheme Tottenham Court Road will host both an underground and a Crossrail station.
Crossrail has allegedly offered landlords almost the whole value of their “assessed property value” in compensation.

But owners claim there is no guarantee of finding other premises in another well-known and central area and many businesses are still on stand-by, waiting for another place to move into.